Ugliest Michigan Map Ever!
Last November I stumbled across a map on Google images. It took but a second of thought to notice that it was the ugliest rendering of Michigan that I had ever seen on a map. The Lower Peninsula was pretty horrible, but the rendering of the Upper Peninsula was even worse! For anyone who holds the U.P. close and dear to their heart, you may have to sit down before looking at this.
It didn’t take long for my friend John to note that this map was taken from the Google Analytics program. As sad as it is to see this map of Michigan and the U.P., there is some legitimacy to it. Recently I came across this Michigan map outlining the border of the state, not just the land. Sure enough, it’s the exact same shape.
I came across this map long before I thought of creating Yooper Steez, but it became inspiration. I thought back to all the times I saw that the Upper Peninsula was missing from a United States map, or was terribly drawn. It was time to set people straight, and show them what the U.P. really is.
What ugly maps have you seen of the U.P.? Or how often do you see a map of the United States without the Upper Peninsula?
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Dude, I don’t know about maps of the UP but I am taking a class in the geography department titled “GIS and Public Health” and I have a much higher respect for people who make maps. So much goes into them it is incredible. We a half lecture on just colour and boderlines to use on maps.
BAM!!!
Khalid,
I hear ya. I found on my trip this year that no matter what the job is, there is a lot more work that goes into it that is seen to the lay person. However, can’t they put the same amount of work into the UP as they do the rest of the country? HA HA HA! It’s like they got tired of work and just said, “Nobody lives there anyways.” Ha ha. Good point though! Sounds like a great class.
this is such a ridiculous map! what is that blob?
omg this is blasphemous…
by far the ugliest map ever. lol
I live in the UP and it’s about time somebody decided to quit taking the abuse and do something about how we always get overlooked!
You know, we do have to claim all the water around us, right? This is a map of the United States, not just the states. I’m VERY happy we OWN the lakes around us and not Wisconsin or Ohio or Illinois.
Or Canada…
Being born and raised in the U.P. I absolutely love the place, and it’s a shame that it’s overlooked all the time. Sure, let’s put on the news the foot of snow that fell in New York, but let’s make no mention of the 4 feet of snow that fell overnight in the U.P. However, being the type of capitalistic country that we are, those that do not produce goods, services, or monies as well as other areas of the country get overlooked constantly. As of right now, all of us need to face that the U.P. is dying economically, and if nothing changes the U.P. will be unlivable due to the lack of jobs. People are moving out at first chance, mining and lumber industries are in extreme decline, and no major company wants to put their base of operations (headquarters) anywhere in the U.P. (let alone Michigan). Something needs to change otherwise we’re screwed.
I get pissed off all the time when it comes to maps. I am from Drummond Island, for those of you that don’t know where that is, it’s on the eastern side of the U.P. I lived there for about 18 years, now I live in Marquette cause of school, but I have seen so many maps that destroy the shape of the up and half of them don’t even have Drummond Island on them. It is bullshit. Drummond is part of the damn U.P. Everyone always thinks it is Canada. Hell no it ain’t in Canada, if it was I would have moved long ago.
This map’s real problem isn’t ugliness. It’s stupidity, maybe with some apathy/laziness mixed in.
When living in Laramie, WY, someone from another state asked if we liked living on the “West Coast.” AMERICANS ARE STUPID, especially when it comes to geography!
I graduated from NMU, and I really enjoyed my time up there. But to be honest, it’s always irritated me how indignant yoopers get whenever they feel their native land isn’t being worshipped as it should be. I’ve never met another subculture so self-righteous and easily offended.
The map is horrendous because its creator is an idiot. Life’s too short to insert unnecessary drama into everything. :)
I just got back from some work in Taiwan and the U.S. map my lab-group used didn’t even have the U.P. on it. I found a pen and quickly remedied that problem, which likely resulted in a better looking U.P. than many other maps. I might have forgot Drummond Island though. . . .
Ugh! I’ve even seen maps online where the UP was shown as part of WISCONSIN, instead of MICHIGAN!
Hey, I remember about 10 years ago…seeing a commercial for Hancock Fabrics…and they quilted the USA…and guess what, NO UP!!!! I never did contact them about it. I was a tad offended!
When did Lake Michigan become a land mass?
I am a born and raised Yooper, and I shout out my yooper pride. This is an ugly map of the U.P…but it isn’t the ugliest map of the U.P. I’ve seen. Of course, I can’t find it now, but I did save a copy…but back in the late 80’s, the Upper Peninsula was forgotten on the State map. I was doing a project for school about the state, it’s capitol, state flower, etc…and when I picked up a map, the U.P. was missing. A month later, they reprinted the map with the ENTIRE state showing. :-)
I used to live in Michigan and that looks nothing like Michigan or anything else. Whoever drew that needs to go back to school and learn that the lower pennsula looks like a mitten and that the UP is not connected to the lower pennsula. When I worked at a store not far from the Soo Locks I actually had someone ask me if we were part of Wesconsin. What school did they go to??? On tv when they show the US they show the UP as a blob and I always said that I hate that they don’t represent the UP the way it should be. Thank you for posting this horrible map of Michigan.
haha. i’m also a yooper…it seems those are the majority of people commenting on here. i agree with everyone else…its ugly. we don’t want to be worshipped, just recognized…i’ve never been offend by maps like this one but i do think that if you are making a map…no matter how much work it takes (i can respect that)…if you’re putting the work into it anyway isn’t the point to make it look right…what other reason is a map for then to see where things are?
[...] in February we reported on one of the ugliest maps we’ve ever seen of the Upper Peninsula (or Michigan for that matter). We asked all of you if you knew of any maps that were similar. Many [...]
i love it……………..:D
i hate Michigan……….:s
The absolute worse map of Michigan was made several years ago by the Weather Channel. It was a yearly calendar with a satellite view of the US on the cover. THEY OMITTED THE UPPER PENINSULA COMPLETELY!! THERE WAS NOTHING ABOVE THE NORTHERN BORDER OF WISCONSIN! I tried to google it for the year or image, but I wasn’t able to find it with my search parameters.
our American History book in 11th grade in Escanaba, did not have the U.P on it! Of course we thought it not necessary to take any tests, as according to the book, we did not exist.
Kristin,
I believe you were talking about this one!
http://www.yoopersteez.com/blog/upper-peninsula/high-school-textbook-labels-upper-peninsula-map-incorrectly/
A bad normal map, but the first map I’ve seen that tells you where the water borders lie.
As a Michigander who was born in the LP, but lived in both P’s, I always put up the shaka sign and the hand to show people where I’m from. I now live in the Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (No hand signs for them.)
A quick shout out to my buddies in L’Anse, Gaylord, and Detroit. Miss ya’ll!